Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE)

Hi candidates,

I do apologize up front for the lack of communication with you. The mail server isn't working at the moment and it seems that everyone has lost track of time. But now we've got our schedules in gear, and there are new [exciting events | http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/event] taking place!
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In this issue:
* General meeting 2 THIS WEEK
* Candidate requirements change
* Candidate interviews
* Candidate website changes
* Events and Activities
** Lead a usability analysis of the department website!
** Help out with the Python helpsession
** Help out with the 61C study session
** Help out with the website
** Python

!!! General Meeting 2 THIS WEEK

Yes, this is short notice, but general meeting 2 is this week, tentatively on '''Thursday, Oct 13 2005 - 7:00pm, Soda Hall, rm 310'''. For more details, visit [http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/node/310].

If you can't make it (e.g. your brain is fried after CS 162), don't fret too much. You can attend general meeting 3 and still satisfy your requirements. We'll post detailed meeting notes on-line.

!!! Candidate requirements CHANGED
(Carolen and Steve)

The requirements have been slightly changed in the area of Events.
Candidates now must go to two social activities and help out at
two events; also, each candidate must attend a Candidate Conversation.

!! What is an activity vs. an event?

An activity is a UPE social activity where a candidate attends and
mingles with the other candidates and members of UPE. Activities
include: Game Night, Poker Night, Broomball, etc. This is more of
a social experience, to extend your CS social circle as well as get
to know the other people in UPE. Candidates just need to show up.
These are generally interclub activities.

UPE will hold events throughout the semester. To get an event
checked off, a candidate must help out at an event. Helping out
would include: creating an event, scheduling an event, setting up
room, buying food for an event with UPE funds, flyering, helping an
officer out, etc.

So in all reality, a social activity can be an event if you help out
for that particular activity. So confusing @_@ but hopefully it's
clear.

2 - go to a social activity

2 - help out at an event

!! Candidate Conversation
Like the hilarious ''Rush Hour'' and its countless sequels and inspired copycats, we're pairing you up with an officer! The goal is to get to know each other for half an hour, and submit a brief report on what you've learned about the other person. We'll be posting these online, along with your photographs.

We'll set this up starting with general meeting 2, and post more details online.

!! If you're interested in leading
Leading builds leadership skills, and prepares you for a full-blown officership position. When your future grad school interviewer or Google interviewer asks you, "What kind of leadership roles have you taken?" you'll have an answer ready!

Leading and organizing an event --- e.g. taking care of logistics, setting up publicity, and even organizing other candidates/officers to help you --- counts for two events. You can lead one of the existing events/activities, or make up your own.

!! Things you can do
Full listing of social activities at [http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/candidates/social-activities]
Full listing of events at [http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/candidates/events]. You can also:
* Photo copying and posting flyers
* Helping out an officer
* Create a student helpsession / study session times

!!! Candidate website changes
The candidate website no longer shows all of the events. Instead, there are links to listings of all Social Activities and links to lists of all Events.

Your resume check-off should have been activated. If you still have not been marked "yes", please e-mail Ray (vice pres) at rchetty@gmail.com.

!!! Events and Activities
This isn't a re-hash of UPE's events page. This contains information specifically for candidates, especially since helping out at one or two of these events is required.

!! Lead a usability analysis of the departmental website!
Hi candidates, this is Alex Jaffe, UPE Department Relations officer. This message is particularly relevant to any of you who have taken '''CS 160''', or have other User Interface experience.

The CS Department has been looking for someone to run a formal usability evaluation of its website, in order for them to consider modifying it. They'd like the UPE to set up, run, and analyze some experiments for them, and if any candidates feel they might be capable of this, it would be fantastic. Not only would this serve as UPE event coordination, but might also involve other perks from the department, including potentially money or credit. Not to mention that this kind of experience looks REAL good on a resume.

We're not sure whether this will happen for certain, but if you think there's any possibility you would be useful for this kind of project, please reply to ajaffe@gmail.com.

Expect to hear more from us soon!

This is eligible for an Event check-off.

!! Help with the Python helpsession
Help lead part of the Python helpsession taking place next Monday (Oct 17), please e-mail Steve at steven@berkeley.edu. For more details on this event, visit [http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/node/299]. This is eligible for an Event check-off.

!! Help with the 61C study session.
Help out with the 61C study session, taking place this coming Sunday (Oct 16). Please e-mail Alex Linares (student relations) at alinares@berkeley.edu. For more details on this event, visit [http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/node/316]. This is eligible for an Event check-off.

!! Help out with the website.
Steve here. A few of you have e-mailed me expressing an eagerness to help administer and build UPE's website. There's quite a bit of work left to be done. For example, here are some projects that could use some leadership:
* usability analysis and evaluation of the website
* create new themes for each section
* next database project: Job Interview question bank
Still interested? Our website runs on the [Drupal content management system | http://www.drupal.org/]. You can learn how to make themes and modules if you like to code, ''or'' we can get you control of the website and you can help with high-level tasks. I plan on holding a [Drupal helpsession | http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/drupal] if there's still enough interest, so you can attend that and then we can talk about what you can do next.

Interested? Please email steven@berkeley.edu (again! sorry for losing your emails).

Since this takes a bit more work, this counts as helping out for 2 events.

!! Help out with the new UPE room.
Steve here again. You can make the new UPE office yours! We will be moving into the XCF office and setting up shop there, so if you have the queer eye of Thom Felicia, or if you'd like to help move stuff, we'll be moving sometime later this week.

No date yet. We're waiting to get keycard access to the room.

!! Guido van Rossum is coming
Tell your friends. Tell your family. The creator of Python is [coming to speak | http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/python] next Tuesday night, October 18!

This unfortunately does not count for a candidate requirement. :( Sad face.

!!! Officer positions
Steve here one last time. Officer elections are typically held in general meeting 3. Keep this in mind if you're interested in obtaining a leadership position. In the past few years, folks who have wanted to be officers were virtually guaranteed an officership, since UPE had so few members. I don't think things are changing for this semester, so your chances are very good. :)

A list of positions are online at [http://upe.cs.berkeley.edu/about/officers/descriptions].

Thanks all for reading!